Types of organisations we fund

We will fund and, where appropriate, work with new and emerging small voluntary organisations that benefit people and communities in London.

A group is ‘small’ if it is made up of volunteers or members and has no more than the equivalent of two full-time paid staff.

We will support organisations that:

	benefit local people and communities in London;
	be open to all members of its community;
	ihelp local communities to identify and tackle local problems;
	do work that might be used to teach others;
	local people and communities have set up to help themselves;
	are open to all members of their community;
	are set up to tackle a specific issue.

All organisations approaching us for help must:

	have a constitution or a set of rules that govern their activities;
	be run by a group of people who may be called the Trustees or the Management Committee;
	have their own bank or building society account where two named people from the Trustees or Management Committee have to sign all the cheques

What we provide funding for

We will give voluntary organisations funding to: identify needs and deliver services;

	gain access to training opportunities;
	organise meetings, conferences, seminars and events which identify problems, raise awareness, explore solutions, or promote good practice
	We will also work with other funding organisations and funded groups to identify emerging needs and to develop and make appropriate responses.

The costs our funding can cover

Our funding can be used to cover:

	everyday costs and overheads, including the costs of heating, lighting,
	phone calls, postage, rent and Council tax;
	one-off capital costs for buying equipment; the costs of paying for sessional and part-time staff. We do not fund full-time staff either in full or in part

The communities we are particularly keen to help. We are particularly keen to fund work with:

	Black, Asian and minatory ethnic community organisations;
	organisations providing creative educational activities for children and young people, including supplementary and mother-tongue schools;
	the costs of paying for sessional and part-time staff. We do not fund full-time staff either in full or in part
	organisations run by disabled peoplke for disabled people, including people with learning disabilities, people living with HIV or AIDS, and people with mental health problems;
	refugee and migrant groups;
self-help groups, for example;
	children and groups;
	estate-based organisations;
	lesbian and gay groups;
	older people's groups;
	organisations set up to tackle a specific issue;
	women's groups;
	youth groups

What we will not fund

We will not provide funding for:

	distribution by umbrella bodies;
	general appeals;
	holiday playschemes;
	individual members of the public;
	major expenses for buying or building premises;
	part or full-full time salary;
	replacing spending cuts made by local or central government;
	research;
	trips abroad.

How much you can apply for

We will provide funding up to a maximum of £10,000 per year. We do not provide funding for more than three years in a row.

How to apply

We do not send out application forms. The first thing you should do is read these guidelines and check that your organisation and the work you want us to fund fits into our grant-making priorities detailed above

Stage 1

If you feel that your work does fit the guidelines you should do the following:-

Send us written details of your planned work and funding needs (on no more than two sides of A4 paper) along with:

	your organisation’s constitution;
	your most recent financial accounts;
	your most recent Annual Report.
Or
	telephone a Field Officer at the Foundation to talk about your work and the funding you are looking for;

Stage 2	If we feel that your planned work fits into our grant-making priorities, a Field Officer will arrange to meet you to discuss it further
Stage 3	Once you and the Field officer agree about what you should apply for, he or she will give you an application form to fill in. the Field Officer will go through the form with you to make sure that you understand what information we need. We must receive your full application form before the relevant deadlines listed below.
Stage 4	The Field Officer will present this application to the Grants Committee, which will make the final decision about funding your application.
Stage 5	You will be told about the decision in writing after the Foundation’s Trustee Board meeting.

Our Field Officers are here to help you to apply for funding. If you would like to discuss your proposal before writing to us, please ring us on 020 7606 6145.

When you should apply
The application process takes quite a long time, so you need to contact us at least three months before the relevant deadline. The Grants Committee meets four times a year, in March, June, September and December. The dealines for receiving your completed applications are:

	31st January for the March meeting
	15th April for the June Meeting
	31st July for the September Meeting
	15th October for the December Meeting

You can get a copy of this document in:

	in Braille
	In large print
	on audiotape
	in a format designed for people with learning disabilities

Please contact us if you would like any of these.

Complaints

If you have any concerns about how we have handled your application you should write to the Clerk of the City Parochial Foundation, which administers the Trust, at the address below. However you cannot appeal against the Trustees' decision about whether or not to make a grant

Contact Details

Trust for London
6 Middle Street
London, EC1A 7PH
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7606 6145
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7600 1866
Email: trustforlondon@cityparochial.org.uk
Website: http://www.cityparochial.org.uk

Historical Note

In 1986, the City Parochial Foundation became the Trustee of the new Trust for London, established by the Government after it abolished the Greater London Council. Its initial endowment was £10 million.

From that beginning, the Trust for London has remained distinct in its policies and methods of work, despite its clear links to the Foundation. It has always focused on smaller organisations, making grants to locally-based charitable groups which have no more than the equivalent of two full-time paid members of staff.

The Trust seeks:

• to have an initiating and pro-active role, rather than to wait for applications

• to ensure that its grants have a distinctive and particular impact

• to be accessible to small groups.